Quo vadis

Filmed in 2001, the latest version of Quo Vadis is finally being released in a region 1 version with English subtitles. I waited SO long for the opportunity to see this film and it does not disappoint. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it is a "must see," I found it to be very well made on most levels and I recommend it without any reservations.

The costumes, sets, and special effects are very realistic and believable and the film makes a sincere attempt to stay true to the historical events and people on whom the story is based.

Although the burning of Rome could have been improved upon, the scene of the Christians being torn to pieces by the lions makes up for it. This scene is not over-the-top gruesome, yet remains horrifying to watch. The terror of the Christians is clearly felt,likewise, the scene of Christians being burned alive.

While every actor/actress in this film did an admirable job, the part of Petronius (played by the great Boguslaw Linda) is outstanding. In fact, Linda may have been just a little too good. Although the character of Petronius is an integral part of the storyline, the character is still that of a supporting role, however, Linda's portrayal is so powerful that in every scene in which he appears, the attention of the viewer remains riveted on Linda. This can at times make the acting of everyone else seem a little less convincing. Linda does not intentionally upstage, but rather he is so good that he can't help but stand out.This is one one of Boguslaw Linda's best performances and I would love to see him cast in more dramas.

Although this film is not preachy, it is about the early days of Christianity and the final scene of the film does leave a Christ centered message.This message can be interpreted several different ways, but to me, the message was that faith in Christ as well as obedience to his teachings is still imperative in the modern world and a necessity in order to achieve salvation. Hence the title of the film, Quo Vadis?; where are you going?

I recently saw this film during my vacation in Poland, there was a lot of anticipation for this film due to the fact that it was the first Polish production of the famous book, and because it was the most expensive Polish film production in history. However the film failed to live up to its expectations on may levels. The beginning seems rushed, I remember there being more development in the novel than was shown in the movie. I could understand if the filmmakers wanted to speed up the tempo but, in this case they missed the correct pace and as a result it distanced me from the characters and plot. The movie slows down as it progresses but by that time I was already too far away to really care about what was happening. Another place where it fails is in the casting of the characters. Ligia is played by a model, who has not done any acting prior to this role, and it shows. She is never able to convincingly portray any emotions, which is another reason why I did not care much for her. Considering Ligia is one of the key roles in the film, it should have been cast with an actress with more experience, the film makers seemed to value looks over experience, and in my opinion it was a bad choice. The casting of Boguslaw Linda as Petronius raised some doubts too, as this is an actor who is frequently type cast into action roles. However his performance was one of the few enjoyable parts of the movie, was he was able to break away from his mold, and provide a solid and enjoyable portrayal of Petronius. Lastly the movie fails on its production value. It is hard to believe that so much money was in fact spent on the film. Many of the scenes look like they were set in a studio and not Rome. Which again distanced me from where I was supposed to be. The special effects leave something to be desired also. They look like TV quality effects rather than effects created for a film. I hope a large part of the budget was not spent on them. The movie had a lot of potential, and it should have been given a better treatment. Polish cinema can do much, much, better, and hopefully someday it will. A lot of money was spent on this movie, it's too bad that more thought did not go into it as well.

This new Polish version of a Polish novel, written in the 1890's by Henryk Sienkiewicz (who won the Nobel prize), is an excellent movie, gripping, exciting and deeply moving. Unlike the 1951 MGM version, which was a costume epic typical for its time, this new film seems to be about real people caught in the maelstrom that was Nero's Rome, in the struggle between decadent paganism and the emerging new faith of the Christians. The book is a favorite of mine and the screenplay's fidelity to the novel is highly commendable. The actors are vivid in their portrayals. This Nero, for instance, seems like a real madman, not a fine actor hamming it up (as did Ustinov in the 1951 film). The Petronius is excellent, the two leads both young and handsome. The conversion of Vinicius and Chilon are convincing and moving. This nearly-three-hour film moves quickly and covers a lot of ground. The ending gave me pause, and it's a stunner. The movie deserves a much wider audience than it's going to get in the US, because, face it, most people who go see foreign language films are not the same people who go to see religious, historical epics. I hope it gets a video release, at least. Hollywood would have given this film costlier and better special effects - the burning of Rome is a bit anemic - but Hollywood could not have filmed this movie as honestly, truthfully and brilliantly.

Inevitably, this film begs comparison to the three other recent Polish historical "super-productions", Ogniem i Mieczem, Pan Tadeusz, and Przedwiosnie. Quo Vadis isn't made with quite the elegance and visual grace of Pan Tadeusz, nor is it quite as dynamic and classy as Przedwiosnie, although it is elegant, visually graceful, and dynamic. It shares similarities, unfortunately, with Ogniem i Mieczem as well: at times it reverts to Hollywood-style kitsch, such as with close-ups that take themselves too seriously, and tacky, forced, over-dramatic music. However, these elements are both less frequent and less pronounced than in Ogniem i Mieczem; and - if you allow yourself to ignore them - are overpowered by many positive elements.

Boguslaw Linda is great as Petroniusz. This is, I think, one of his best roles for years, and he produces the grace and dignity of a Roman gentleman very well. Michal Bajor's characterisation of the naive, vain Nero, at once contemptible and likeable, was for me one of the nice surprises of the film.

The scene where lions tear Christians apart in the circus is shocking and heart-wrenching, and looks almost as realistic as I could imagine is possible. The famous scene where Ursus battles the bull in the circus is, if not as spectacular as the lions, similarly effective.

Not a masterpiece, but a very good film. 8/10

Like summary states Polish is out of my leauge....but this quite wonderful movie isn't for me or any epic movie fan. VERY well done..with great sets,costumes and visuals. (I think the cinematography is beautifully done) The main characters look right and knowing the 1951 version of "Quo" as I do, I can follow their actions easily. In fact their appearance seems to make them more believable than previous versions of the movie.Sequences set in the "Circus" are realistic and in final scene closer to the novel. The entire movie is pretty wonderful and I think it's $18 million dollar budget shows. It's lavishly done. A worthy successor to MGM's version. Best, Mike M.